AUGURY will release its next full-length album, called Illusive Golden Age, on March 30th through The Artisan Era.

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions is working with death metal band RUIN and has a sampler called Plague Transmissions: Vol. I. The California-based band was founded in 1991, disbanded and returned in 2015.

Wales-based SODOMIZED CADAVER’s album Verses Of Vorarephilia was released through Immortal Souls Productions last December.

MOURNFUL CONGREGATION has an album called The Incubus Of Karma through its new label, Osmose Productions.

Heidelberg Deathfest or HDDF 2018 – Part III has chosen the slogan “Support Your Local Death!” and will take place on the 24th of March in that city. Among others ASPHYX, MILKING THE GOATMACHINE and BENIGHTED are appearing.

USA-based death metal band MORTIFERUM’s Altar Of Decay CD is out through Blood Harvest.

BLOOD AND BRUTALITY’s Decor Macabre demo was issued in December. The band was formed by drummer Arant in October of 2008.

Brazil-based WHIPSTRIKER’s Merciless Artillery album is out through Hells Headbangers next month. The band is touring the USA in March.

STRIKE MASTER’s self-titled demo was issued late last year. The thrash metal band was founded in 2005

Former MEGADETH Jeff Young reports on his radio show that singer and guitarist Dave Mustaine has written to him to apologize for the lies and accusations over the years and invited him to be a part of any future Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction in the future.

USA-based black metal band RITES TO SEDITION has a demo called Ancestral Blood.

OBSCURA will release a full-length album, called Diluvium, through Relapse Records this summer.

Drummer Greg Hall was asked to leave SACRED REICH last month. The band then signed with Metal Blade.

Sweden-based band TRIBULATION has released a new album, called Down Below, through Century Media Records in January.

EXODUS and MUNICIPAL WASTE are touring in support of the new season of the latter’s animated series Mr. Pickles.

Sweden-based death metal band LIK has signed a deal with Metal Blade. The band’s album will be released in May. Like stands for ‘corpse’ in Swedish.

BUNKUR and MORDOR have a split LP and CD featuring cover versions on Nuclear War Now! Productions. The label has also issued ANATOMIA’s Carnal Obsession DLP. The band is the follow-up to TRANSGRESSOR.

Montreal, Canada-based SANGUINE GLACIALIS has signed a distribution deal with Wormholedeath for the worldwide release of its Hadopelagic album, which was produced by Chris Donaldson of CRYPTOPSY.

Norway-based MYRKRAVERK has an album called Naer Døden through Blut & Eisen Productions.

Guitarist Bernd “Bernemann” Kost and drummer Markus “Makka” Freiwald were fired by SODOM main man Angelripper. The men report they were notified via WhatsApp.

All rape and kidnapping charges against the four members of the Poland-based death metal band DECAPITATED were dropped in Washington State, USA. They were accused of rape by a groupie, who along with her girlfriend, had boarded the tour bus following a show with THY ART IS MURDER in Spokane, Washington. The woman was deemed not credible having had provided false testimony in 2014.

Brazil-based thrash metal band EXYLLE has a demo called Dead When Born By The Church. The band is recording a full-length.

VEILED (formerly GNOSIS OF THE WITCH) has an album called Black Celestial Orbs through Iron Bonehead.

DEATH AWAITS is spending April touring with KARMA ZERO, GOHRGONE and SLAUGHTERERS.

Hellchrist Xul’s FUNERAL WINDS has an album called Sinister Creed through Avantgarde Music. The label has also issued ABIGOR’s Höllenzwang.

DESTRÖYER 666 will release a new EP, called Call Of The Wild, on February 23rd.

Romania-based band SPECTRAL has an upcoming full-length album called Neural Correlates Of Hate through Loud Rage Music.

The Germany-based black metal trio CHAOS INVOCATION has an album called Reaping Season, Bloodshed Beyond through W.T.C. Productions next month. The band was founded by A. and M. in 2004.

Italy-based band KURGAALL has a video for the track Satanization, which is the title-track from the band’s upcoming full-length, which is set to be released worldwide through Hammer Of Damnation.

France-based crossover band BEYOND THE STYX has an album called Stiigma through Klonosphere.

GRAVE UPHEAVAL has a self-titled double-album on Nuclear War Now! The band is compared to DISEMBOWLMENT.

Spain-based death metal group TERATOMA has an album called In The Inside Reborn The Flesh through Immortal Souls.

Italy-based alternative band EGOSYSTEMA will open for KATATONIA in its shows in Baltic Countries and Russia this month. These will be the last KATATONIA shows for a while.

THY FEEBLE SAVIOUR’s And Darkness Fell album is out through Hells Headbangers on the 23rd March. THY FEEBLE SAVIOUR was formed by Francisco Pulido after the demise of SACRELIGIOUS TORMENT in in 2004.

Denmark-based MAKE A CHANGE… KILL YOURSELF has uploaded a first track in over six years on YouTube. Entitled Once Awake, the 22-minute cut is taken off from the band’s upcoming offering IV, which will be available on CD, MCD and LP.

Hard rock band VERSOVER has a demo called Hell’s Inc. The band was founded in 1997.

Germany-based goth rock band CREMATORY will release a new album, called Oblivion, through SPV on April 13.

London, England-based SKULLTHRONE has released Demo III. The band is described as black metal.

MONADS’s IVIIV and ESOTERIC’s Esoteric Emotions – The Death Of Ignorance are out through Aesthetic Death. Both bands specialize in funeral doom.

RITES OF THY DEGRINGOLADE’s The Blade Philosophical is out through Nuclear War Now! Productions this month. The band was originally conceived as a solo project in 1997 by Paulus Kressman, known at that time for his drumming and vocals for SACRAMENTARY ABOLISHMENT, which would evolve into AXIS OF ADVANCE following Kressman’s departure.

NECROPHOBIC released a new album, called Mark Of The Necrogram, through Century Media Records last month.

AT THE GATES’ next album, To Drink From The Night Itself, is out through Century Media Records this May. Russ Russell taped it.

MORBOSIDAD’s Corona De Epidemia is available on CD now. This edition features a different cover than the 2017 LP. The release is through Nuclear War Now!

CADAVER PUTREFACTO’s La Maldicion Del Zombi Errante album is out through Brutal Records.

Romania-based death metal group CODERED will reissue its Dominions Of Our Deceitful Beliefs through Loud Rage Records this month.

GRANDIOSE MALICE’s The Eternal Infernal album is out through Hells Headbangers.

Formed in 2010 by metalcore and thrash band members from A.W.O.L., PORTO PAK and STORMCORE, VOIGHT KAMPFF is a techno-thrash band from Brittany, France. The band has signed to Sliptrick and will issue its Substance Reve album this year.

Netherlands-based death metal PUREST OF PAIN, which is lead by guitarist and songwriter Merel Bechtold of DELAIN and MAYAN, has an demo called Solipsis.

Cambridge, Canada-based grind sludge duo GREBER, featuring Steve Vargas (THE GREAT SABATINI) and Marc Borugon (ex-FUCK THE FACTS) has issued a new demo called Cemetery Preston.

Austria-based GLOBAL SCUM has an album called Hell Is Home. The band’s style is termed “groove death metal” and the label is NRT Records.

OBSCENE’s Sermon To The Snake album is out through Horror Pain Gore Death. It is the band’s debut EP.

Greece-based KARMA VIOLENS has a new record, Serpent God. The album contains ten tracks and is set for release on April 13th through Growl Records, which is a division of ROAR! Rock of Angels Records.

Italy-based grindcore band NEID has recorded a special 10-year anniversary 7” called Noise Treatment.

Brutal Records has signed Finland-based AXEGRESSOR and will issue its Bannerless album this April.

SOL DE SANGRE has a self-titled death metal album recorded by Tomas Skogsberg. The band features members of CROMLECH, ABSOLUTION DENIED and HEADCRUSHER.

Brazil-based TORTURE SQUAD has an album called Far Beyond Existence through Secret Service/Brutal Records.

Australia-based death metal band GOLGOTHAN REMAINS issued its first full-length demo, entitled Perverse Offerings To The Void, last month.

Italy-based death metal act STORM OF PARTICLES issued its debut demo Gaea Hypothesis on January 24th.

Germany-based CORBIAN issued a demo called Supremacy Of Fire late last year. The band is compared to AMON AMARTH.

Gearing up for the first annual Decimate Metalfest, bands already announced include CHAOS BEING, ACCOSTAL, HAZZERD, WIDOW’S PEAK, FROM THE WOLVES and HAMMERDRONE. The three night festival descending on Calgary, Canada begins June 7th at Distortion Live Venue.

Metallian Hard

In a recent interview RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson told The Globe And Mail that the band has no recording or touring plans signifying the end for the act.

Japan-based SIGNIFICANT POINT has signed with Inferno Records and has an EP called Attacker.

BONFIRE will release a new album, called Temple Of Lies, through AFM Records on April 13.

The Italy-based THE MOTHMAN CURSE has a demo called Hope out on 30.03.2018.

Sweden-based REACH has an album called The Great Divine.

BLACK ROSE (Swedish version) will issue an album called A Light In The Dark through Sliptrick later this year.

India-based OVERHUNG has an album, called Moving Ahead, which is being rereleased through the Canada-based Test your metal records. The band is being compared to BLACK SABBATH and GUNS N’ ROSES.

HYPNOTHETICALL is issuing a third studio album, called Synchreality, through Revalve Records on March 16th.

Epic doom metal act DESOLATE PATHWAY (UK) has a digital re-release of its Valley Of The King release through Wormholedeath.

HERETIC’S DREAM is working on a new studio album, which is due to be released through Sliptrick Records this autumn. The working title is Resilience. The band has issued a video for the song A Price To Pay.

Albania-based CROSSBONES has a new album. It is called WWIII and out through Nadir Music out of Italy.

Sliptrick has issued XAON’s The Drift album. The band is heading to Japan.

Italy-based MIND ENEMIES has a demo called Revenge.

French doom metal band CONVICTION - a side-project of Olivier Verron aka Amduscias from TEMPLE OF BAAL, has a digital single called Outworn.

BUCK TOW TRUCK’s Death Wields A Six String demo was issued in December. BUCK TOW TRUCK is a one-man act from Woodstock, Canada that was founded by Andrew Dona.

Sweden-based MILE has an album called The World In Focus through Rambo. The band was founded in 2012.

Sweden-based heavy metal band CANDLE will release an album, called The Keeper's Curse, through Fighter Records this month.

France-based power metal band ÖBLIVÏON, featuring former NIGHTMARE members, has released a music video for the song In The Arms Of A Queen. The track is taken from the debut album Resilience and the DVD Live At Leym’Fest, which is out on February 23rd through ROAR Rock Of Angels Records.

London, UK-based NEURONSPOILER has an album called Second Sight on Dissonance Productions.

AXEL RUDI PELL will release his next album, called Knights Call, through SPV/Steamhammer in March.

Former MOTÖRHEAD and FASTWAY guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke died on January 10th after a bout of pneumonia. He was 67 years old.

One-time ACCEPT singer David Reece has signed a multi-album deal with Mighty Music. The contract is for his solo endeavour.

Despite the death of main man and singer Warrel Dane SANCTUARY will still tour with ICED EARTH in North America. Stepping in is Joseph Michael (WITHERFALL).

WARRIOR SOUL has announced two new concert dates in Greece. The dates are in support of the Back On The Lash album, which was released through Livewire/Cargo Records UK in December.

February 6th saw the release of two CLOVEN HOOF CDs by Metal Nation Records. The Definitive Part Two is new, while part one is a re-release. The first five tracks of the new sampler are the 2010 demo The Throne Of Damnation featuring vocalist Matt Moreton.

AFTERLIFE SYMPHONY has an album called Lympha through Revalve Records this March.

Canada-based power metal band THE ORDER OF CHAOS will be releasing an EP, called Night Terror, in 2018 to follow its 2015 full-length Apocalypse Moon Killer Metal Records.

The new line-up of CYNIC has released a digital track titled Humanoid.

KAMELOT’s next album, called The Shadow Theory, is out through Napalm Records this April.

BLUE MURDER drummer Carmine Appice told an interviewer that the band’s reformation was cancelled due to the unavailability of guitarist John Sykes.

Germany-based hard rock trio FORMOSA came out of drunken stupor long enough to record an album called Sorry For Being Sexy. It is out through Sweepland Records in March.

Armstrong Metal Fest has a 2018 People's Choice Award through BrokenNeckRadio.com. One band will be selected through online voting to perform at the Western Canadian festival. The contest will run from February 10th to 24th. The winner of the online voting will be announced on February 26th.

Canada-based KILLER DWARFS have signed with EMP Label Group. The first order of business is a re-release of recent demos.

Canada-based group SHADES OF SORROW has signed with Sliptrick Records. The band’s Ascension demo is being rereleased by the label.

Every band is so original. They all “unleash” albums, are all “progressive” and all are such mavericks each has a Facebook and Bandcamp account.

Metallian Demos

TARAH WHO? - HALF MIDDLE CHILD SYNDROME
Formed and fronted by French born Tarah Carpenter Tarah Who? is a USA-based trio and this five song EP starts off with the sarcastic and simultaneously pointed punk-ish or alternative rock song Pay To Play. Other than commenting on the music scene listen for the Trump reference in the middle of the song! Sirens also draws from the same influences and switches between more angered and more laid back grungy sounds. Little Pieces is more angry in lyrics than in music with the 'You little fucking piece of shit' lines repeated numerous times in the short song. Ache also mixes straightforward anger with rock sounds. Garden Of Chloé(s) is about a friend's suicide and it is somewhat catchy rock that would have been very much at home in the 90s and again is more impactful in lyrics than music. The title of the EP refers to how others view Tarah. Check www.tarahwho.com for more. – Anna Tergel